Were any castles in Switzerland used for military or police purposes
(prisons, barracks, offices, anything) during WWII? If so, which
castles and what uses--and how might I find more information, in
English? Many thanks.

Dear Jrbingo,

as per your request, I am now 'answering' the question. I checked a
few more time-lines of castles in the Aargau:

Aarau: Became a museeum in 1938
Aarbug: School from 1893- , renovation in 1954
Auenstein: private home since 1853
Stein in Baden: Not habitable or usable. Razed.
Biberstein: School
Boettstein: privately held
Brugg: part of the town, really
Habsburg: restaurant and museum since 1900+, renovated in 1947 (ceiling)
Hallwil: mueseum
[this goes on. schools, restaurants, private property, ...]

No indication at all for military use, at least in the Aargau.

] Also, I have a number of additional questions re. Switzerland during
] WWII. Am I right in thinking that this is a subject with which you're
] familiar? Is there a way to ensure that you see any future questions I
] post? (I'm actually thinking of posting a question asking what the
] best way is to find a research assistant who's familiar with
] Switzerland in WWII!)

Yes, I have some familiarity with Switzerland, and I can always ask
elder relatives concerning events during WWII. Please just post your
question, and I'll be on the lookout for 'jrbingo-ga'. I'd certainly
welcome future interactions ;-)

Friendly greetings,

    Philip

Excellent answer--and quick, too. Thanks.

Dear jrbingo,

I have no definitive answer for you, that is why you receive this as
comment. The data you are seeking has not been collected so far. Now
given all the caveats, I can tell you what I think...

I considered a few castles (e.g. Habsburg, Lenzburg, Brunegg, Wildegg,
Friesenberg, ...). No data is available, and my personal experience
speaks against them having been used for anything important. Those
castles that offer time-lines into the 20th century on the web have no
special comments on 2nd world war. I would however say that the places
they are built on make for good air defense and look-out positions.
Thus, some along the border probably were involved with the military.
On the other hand, the medieval castles and fortifications are
typically quite small, cramped, and out of the way compared to what
else is available. For me that rules out 'barracks', 'offices' and
even prisons. Not to forget that some of the castles are actually
protected as 'culturally important', and thus it was forbidden to
involve them into warfare.

Finally, the Swiss military was quite well integrated into the general
infrastructure of Switzerland, so there was no point in using a
castle, if you can instead use whatever ressources the nearest viallge
offers you gladly and cooperatively.

The easiest ways to get more information would be to send a letter or
email to the Militaerverwaltung to the 26 cantons, and simply ask them
for any information they might remember. Or you might want to
enumerate the castles (there are about 170 of those) and try to send a
mail to the repsective owners.

I am sure the information (or proof of non-existance) can also be dug
out of local archives of that time, but that sounds like quite a
chore.

A few links that may be of help:
http://www.swisscastles.ch/ (best link)
http://www.burgen.ch/ (shows the state of places, gives some pointers)
http://www.best-of-dreiland.com/tourismus/unternehmen/schloss-ch-1-d.htm
(nice views, some english text, links to the actual pages)

If you believe this comment is worth being treated as a full or partial
answer to your question, then please say so, and I'll post it as an
answer (potentially after you have-downgraded the price).

All the best with your search,

    Philip

Philip:

Please post your 'comment' as an 'answer.' I must admit that I
expected there would be no easy answer--I wasn't able to find this
information, and am a little gratified that you couldn't, either! But,
in fact, you answered my question quite well, and I'm pleased to
learn, at least, that I haven't overlooked anything obvious.

Also, I have a number of additional questions re. Switzerland during
WWII. Am I right in thinking that this is a subject with which you're
familiar? Is there a way to ensure that you see any future questions I
post? (I'm actually thinking of posting a question asking what the
best way is to find a research assistant who's familiar with
Switzerland in WWII!)